"If we don't let our children take risks they'll never know what freedom is"

"The real danger lies in not letting children have the freedom to play outdoors and explore the world around them. We're bringing up generations of children who can't assess risks and make reasonable judgements about the world. We overprotect them so much that we hold them back".

After having five children himself, he also gives talks on the importance of re-connecting children to the natural world. He wrote the report "Natural Childhood" on this subject. He took part in the EECERA conference on research into early childhood education, held on Bellaterra Campus from 7 to 10 September, with a talk entitled "Managing risk in a fearful world: why children need a sense of adventure".

-What was your lecture about?
-Well basically that children today are less connected than ever to the outdoors and the natural world. They watch a lot of television and connect to internet but they spend very little time out in the open air, engaging in non-structured play. Indoor activities have become the norm. The same is true of their parents, who also regard it as completely normal to be shut in between four walls, and see nothing but frights and dangers outside in the open air.

-What do you see as being wrong with our children today?
-Our children have never been so out-of-touch with nature as they are today. Most of them have never climbed a tree or chased butterflies. As part of the 60s generation I was lucky enough to play in the street a lot and spend all day running through the woods. When they wanted to punish me they would say "To your bedroom!", which was a really boring place. Nowadays kids have TVs, computers, tablets, and so on in their rooms, which can take them anywhere, so it's a reward for them to be shut up in there.

-So what is the real danger then?
The real danger lies in not letting children have the freedom to play outdoors and explore the world around them. We're bringing up generations of children who can't assess risks and make reasonable judgements about the world. We overprotect them so much that we hold them back. We prevent them from discovering and exploring their surroundings for themselves. If you don't let your kids take risks they'll never know what freedom and adventure are. Fear is the main thing that stops children from enjoying freedom. We don't let them go out onto the street alone or go to school alone. But then we shut them in their bedrooms, where they face more dangers from internet than from playing outside in the street or the woods. How do pedophiles contact their victims? On the internet. If we let our children have a reasonable amount of freedom and stop wrapping them in cotton wool all day, they'll grow up to be mature, healthy adults. In fact, all human learning comes from taking risks. It will make them better people and society will benefit from having healthier and freer individuals.

-There are certain problems with all this though aren't there? City traffic, for example.
-Yes, of course. Changes are needed for that reason. In many countries people are asking for speed limits in areas with schools, for different streets to be closed to traffic at certain times of day in town centres, so that children can play there (in Bristol, for example), or for children of a certain age to be allowed to go to school by themselves – without the social services or the police having to be told!

-In a country like ours, with very high teacher-pupil ratios in schools, what can be done to connect children with nature?
Well, this happens in the UK too. The ratio is 20 children per teacher. Some measures have to be taken. Assistant teachers are needed and classes need to be split into small groups. It can be done, though I realise that it's not easy for teachers.

-Is it a question of having more economic resources?
Well I'm sure that would help but it's not so much that.... You can teach the same thing outside in the open air as in the classroom. It's easier for you here in Barcelona than in the UK, with the wonderful climate you have! The children are more focused, more attentive and more motivated if you go outside to teach the class than if you always keep them in the classroom.

-How is this being dealt with in different countries in the world?
-Well, as I see it, in the UK, and possibly also in the USA, most teachers and society in general attach great importance to looking after the environment and the natural world, much more than in countries like Spain or Italy. We really are a step ahead in these matters. In my country everybody is convinced that being close to nature is good for people.

- Does all this mean that it's better for a child to grow up in a village than a town?
Well, many towns have large green areas and natural spaces that can help children grow up in contact with nature. This is true of many towns in the UK, and Barcelona too. There are large parks or natural areas, where kids can climb trees, play hide-and-seek, make a den or play roly-poly. 80 per cent of our children live in towns so what we have to do is improve them so that they have more natural spaces.

-Teenagers are less receptive to all this aren't they?
-Its been shown that if you instil love and respect for nature in children before the age of 12 it will stay with them when they become adults. But if you don't try until they're 16 it will be too late. So you have to do it before they are 12!

-How does it benefit children to be in contact with nature?
-They are more balanced and healthier physically and mentally, they have an open mind because they can see that the world can't be controlled (you can't control a bird in flight or the weather for example), they are tuned in to the seasons and the climate, and they understand that we humans are just a part of nature, and that we need to respect it and care for it. It also awakens their curiosity and willingness to take risks. Children today are up against forces pushing them in the opposite direction however.

-What forces?
-Mainly market forces. If they stay at home playing with their Playstation or watching television, they're bound to ask for things that cost money and they'll want to spend the afternoon in the shopping centre. If you take them to the wood or the park they won't feel any need to go shopping.